The Opioid Student Research Group presents: “Understanding the Opioid Epidemic in Rural Appalachia: Perspectives from Community Stakeholders and People Who Inject Drugs (PWID)” Christine Schalkoff Monday, October 8th 12-1pm UNC-CH School of Public Health, Michael Hooker Research Center, Room 3005 As part of an NIH-funded service delivery intervention to combat opioid injection in a tri-county area of southern Ohio, a qualitative study of key community stakeholders and people who inject drugs (PWID) was conducted. To date, 34 stakeholder interviews (inclusive of healthcare providers, public health officials, law enforcement, substance use treatment providers, and judicial officials) and 29 PWID interviews have been completed. Preliminary results and themes that are relevant for intervention efforts in rural populations, including stigma toward addiction and medication-assisted treatment (MAT), recent shifts in substance use, various types of trauma, concerns about MAT diversion, and fragmented inter-organizational collaboration will be presented and discussed.